I thought that the Towers were being demolished
- Thread starter Frak
- Start date
CyRide is FREE?
Damn - you kids got it so easy..... :wink:
I can now legitimately grip about how I had to walk to school, both ways.
They were like criss-cross wooden things or wood and chains but yes the ones you wedged up in the holes in the ceilings. I am certain they had a strict policy against it in Wallace Wilson because the ceilings had asbestos in them. If you did well then hope you don't wind up with cancer some day from it!
The ceilings in Knapp and Storms were smooth painted concrete, Wallace and Wilson had some kind of texturized ceilings if I remember.
Well they upped the student fees to cover the costs but still it was cheaper than getting a bus pass still.
Beautiful...... :swoon:
Yep - that's them. Kind of an upside down "y" with about a 5', 2x4 wedging it up against the wall.
No policy. Everybody had them.
If you'll excuse me, I need to contact my attorney..... and my doctor.
Yep - that's them. Kind of an upside down "y" with about a 5', 2x4 wedging it up against the wall.
No policy. Everybody had them.
If you'll excuse me, I need to contact my attorney..... and my doctor.
Maybe it was just Wallace then but I was sure that Wilson was the same way. Again, the last time I lived there was spring of 2001 so I can't be certain but I swore that Knapp and Storms were identical and so were Wallace Wilson and I know that in Wallace for sure you could not have hanging lofts.
Hanging loft for 2 years at Storms. Nothing scary with the hanging loft unless you had a "visitor" staying with you. Then you would wonder if you would survive a collapse, but to my good fortune never had one collapse.
For two years walked everyday (that I went to class) and the CyRide was free. I'm a bit claustrophobic so a bus full of people not my idea of fun, plus my classes were one of the last that they made stops at so I usually saved time by walking.
For two years walked everyday (that I went to class) and the CyRide was free. I'm a bit claustrophobic so a bus full of people not my idea of fun, plus my classes were one of the last that they made stops at so I usually saved time by walking.
Lived in Wallace in '01-'02. Everyone had hanging lofts. I was on the 10th floor - Laying in bed 3 feet from the ceiling with your knee resting against the wall you could feel the building move during a windy day.
For what it's worth: Towers WAS a dump, but I had a GREAT time there! Sort of its own little community. Embrace the crappiness!
For what it's worth: Towers WAS a dump, but I had a GREAT time there! Sort of its own little community. Embrace the crappiness!
I have 3 pieces of Storms that I got at the site. (Had to climb a fence in the middle of the night to get them.) They are currently part of a rock garden in my yard.
I didn't live there, but partied there a couple times my frosh year. Amazingly, the R.A. is the guy that bought us the booze.
To answer the original question: no, Wallace and Wilson were never slated for demolition. The DoR closed them about 10 years ago because they didn't need the space. Then, when they decided that Knapp and Storms were structurally deficient, the DoR did schedule a demolition timeline for Wallace and Wilson, pending an examination of those halls. However, they were found to be in good shape, even though the space wasn't needed at the time.
Wallace was reopened for Fall 2006 as all super-singles. Since then, there has been a massive spike in the number of people contracting with the DoR. Wallace is now full, and the bottom six floors of Wilson have been reopened for Fall 2009. They anticipate reopening the seventh floor for Spring 2010, and 8-10 for Fall 2010 based on space demands. After that, they'll have to start turning super-singles back into doubles.
Wallace was reopened for Fall 2006 as all super-singles. Since then, there has been a massive spike in the number of people contracting with the DoR. Wallace is now full, and the bottom six floors of Wilson have been reopened for Fall 2009. They anticipate reopening the seventh floor for Spring 2010, and 8-10 for Fall 2010 based on space demands. After that, they'll have to start turning super-singles back into doubles.
Not bad for dorms that were built as temp housing in the '70's to handle the flux of Boomers...much like Pammel Court was built to handle the post WW II rush.
Lived in Storms - 7th floor my freshman year. Had the loft 3ft from the ceiling...LOL. The guy next to me put two up on one side to try and make a double bed loft. It worked for about a week before he got a little excited with the GF and it all came tumbling down.
I rode my bike for the most part to and from campus unless the cold was relentless...then I PAID for CyRide (can't believe it's "free" for all now).
I rode my bike for the most part to and from campus unless the cold was relentless...then I PAID for CyRide (can't believe it's "free" for all now).
Also remember the single cable hookup that the guy at the end of the hall had and then we spliced it about 10 times from room to room. Signal got worse with each splice but it was only like $2/mnth...LOL.
Also had a room on the end with a hole drilled in the wall to the next room so we could put a keg in one room and have the tap in the next (kegs were outlawed from Towers the year before my freshman year).
Also had a room on the end with a hole drilled in the wall to the next room so we could put a keg in one room and have the tap in the next (kegs were outlawed from Towers the year before my freshman year).
I lived on 9th floor Wilson in the early 90's...we would take a golf ball into the restroom on a windy winter night and watch the ball start slowly rolling back and forth...was freaky to watch.
If my info and memory is correct, Towers was built in 1973 and was only for temporary use...no more than 5 years or so but that could be longer.
Towers back in the early 90's was always humming with activity...all 4 towers were pretty much full and you felt like you were off in your own little world...the day that all 4 building are completely gone will be a sad day for me...LOTS of GREAT memories! Of course the long winter walks weren't so great...but that long walk kept me from putting on the freshman 15!
Free for students with ISUCard! In the next few years it will be free for everyone and will be paid for by student fees and Ames City Taxdollars. Iowa City is the same way and anyone can get on any bus.
You are right on sir.
I work for the DoR this summer and have had several conversations with some of the custodial and maintenance staff about this and basically the reason wallace/wilson is open this year is because enrolment is up again, and they absolutely Need the space for students!
are you connected to the dor or custodial/maintenance somehow?
When the towers were built, they had an expected lifespan of 15 years. used for "temperary expansion housing" almost 40 years later...they are still being used...
When the towers were built, they had an expected lifespan of 15 years. used for "temperary expansion housing" almost 40 years later...they are still being used...
I would give them a higher expected lifespan than the Frederiksen Ct buildings.
